Mechanics Problem

1. Problem 1
A double pendulum consists of two simple pendulums, with one pendulum suspended from the bob

Figure 1:

of the other. The upper pendulum has mass m1 and length l1 , the lower pendulum has mass m2 and
length l2 , and both pendulum moves in the same vertical plane (Figure 1).
(a) Find the Lagrangian, using the angle θ1 and θ2 the pendulum make with the vertical as generalized
coordinates.
(b) Write down Lagrange’s equations of motion.
2. Problem 2

Figure 2:

The bead of mass m slides without friction along a wire which has the shape of a parabola y = Ax2
with axis vertical in the earth’s gravitational field g. (Figure 2)
(a) Find the Lagrangian, taking as generalized coordinate the horizontal displacement x.
(b) Write down Lagrange’s equation of motion.
3. Problem 3

The point of support of a simple plane pendulum moves vertically according to y=h(t) where h(t)
is some given function of time (Figure 3).

Figure 3:
 (a) Find the Lagrangian, taking as generalized coordinate the angle θ the pendulum makes with
vertical line.
(b) Write down a Lagrange’s equation of motion, showing in particular that the pendulum behaves
like a simple pendulum in a gravitational field g + ḧ.
4. Problem 4

Figure 4:

A mass m is attached to one end of a light rod of length l. The other end of the rod is rotated so that
the end can swing in a plane. This point of support rotates in the same plane at angular velocity ω
in a circle of radius R (Figure 4).
(a) Find the Lagrangian of this system.
(b) Write down the Lagrange’s equation of motion, showing that this ”pendulum” behaves like a
single pendulum in a gravitational field g = ω 2 R for all values of l and all amplitudes of oscillation.
5. Problem 5

Figure 5:

Figure 6:

A particle of mass m slides on the inner surface of cone of half angle α. The axis of the cone is
vertical with vertex downward. Gravity g acts vertically downwards (Figure 5).
(a) Choose and show on a diagram suitable generalized coordinates and find the Lagrangian.
(b) Write down the explicit equations of motion for your generalized coordinates.

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6. Problem 6
A bead of mass m slides on a long straight wire which mages an angle α with, and rotates with
constant angular velocity ω about, the upward vertical. (Figure 6)
(a) Choose and show on a diagram a suitable generalized coordinate and find the Lagrangian.
(b) Write down the explicit equation of motion for your generalized coordinate.
7. Problem 7- Landau p. 11,12
Find the Lagragian for each of the following systems when placed in a uniform gravitational field
(acceleration g)

Figure 7:

(1) A simple pendulum of mass m2 , with a mass m1 at the point of support which can move on a
horizontal line lying in the plane in which m2 moves. (Figure 7)

Figure 8:

(2) A simple pendulum of mass m whose point of support (a) moves uniformly on a vertical circle with
constant frequency γ, (b) oscillates horizontally in the plane of motion of the pendulum according
to the law x = Acos(γt), (c) oscillates vertically according to the law y = Acos(γt). (Figure 8)

Figure 9:

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 (3) The system shown in Figure 9. The particle m2 moves on a vertical axis and the whole system
rotates about this axis with a constant angular velocity Ω.
8. Problem 8
Obtain the expression for the Cartesian components and the magnitude of the angular momentum
of a particle in cylindrical coordinates r, θ, z and in the spherical coordinates r, θ, φ.
9. Problem 9
Consider a simple pendulum having a mass m suspended by a string of length l in a gravitational
field. At t=0, this pendulum make an angle θ0 with the vertical line. Using the conservation law of
energy, determine the period of oscillations of the pendulum as a function of the amplitude θ0 of the
oscillations.
10. Problem 10
Determine the period of oscillations, as a function of the energy E, when a particle of mass m moves
in fields for which the potential energy is
(a) U = A|x|n
(b) U = −U0 /cosh2 (αx), where −U0 < E < 0.
(c) U = U0 tan2 (αx), where U0 > 0.
11. Problem 11
A particle is free to move on a surface of a torus given by

x(θ, φ) = (a + bcosφ)cosθ,
y(θ, φ) = (a + bcosφ)sinθ,
z(θ, φ) = bsinφ.

(a) Find a suitable Lagrangian for this problem.

(b) Find two first integrals of the motion.
12. Problem 12
A plane pendulum of length l and mass m1 suspended from a mass point m2 that is free to slide
without friction in the horizontal x̂−direction measured from a fixed origin. The gravitational
acceleration g = −gŷ is directed vertically downward and the pendulum as it swings makes an angle
θ with respect to the vertical (see Figure 7).
(a) Construct the Lagrangian for this system, and derive the Lagrange’s equations of motion in terms
of x and θ degrees of freedom.
(b) Find the two first integrals for the motion.
13. Problem 13
The Lagrangian for two particles of masses m1 and m2 and coordinates r1 and r2 , interacting via a
potential V(|r1 − r2 |), is
1 1
L = m1 ṙ21 + m2 ṙ22 − V(|r1 − r2 |) (1)
2 2
m1 r1 +m2 r2
(a) Rewrite the Lagrangian in terms of the center of mass coordinates R = m1 +m2 and relative
coordinates r = r1 − r2 .
(b) Use Lagrange’s equations to show that the center of mass and relative motions separate, the
center of mass moving with constant velocity, and the relative motion being like that of a particle of
reduced mass m = mm11+m
m2
2
in a potential V(r).
14. Problem 14
Find the time dependence of the coordinates of a particle with energy E = 0 moving in a parabola
in a central field U = −α/r
15. Problem 15
Integrate the equations of motion for a particle moving in a central field, U = −α/r2 with α > 0,
find the dependence of 1/r on φ and the time dependence of the coordinates (r and φ are generalized
coordinates of this problem).

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16. Problem 16- Landau p. 43
Prove that the relation between the angle θ1 and θ2 (in the L system) after disintegration into two
particles with their masses m1 and m2 is
m2 2 m1 2 2
sin θ2 + sin θ1 − 2sinθ1 sinθ2 cos(θ1 + θ2 ) = sin2 (θ1 + θ2 ). (2)
m1 m2 (m1 + m2 )V2

17. Problem 17- Landau p. 44

Find the angular distribution of the resulting particles in the L system in the disintegration into two
particles. (Hint: see the instruction in Problem 2 of Landau p. 44)
18. Problem 18
Determine the effective cross-section for scattering of particles from
(a) (Landau p.50) a perfectly rigid sphere of radius a (for example, U = ∞ for r < a and U = 0 for
r > a.)
(b)(Landau p.53) a Coulomb field U = α/r (Rutherford’s formula)
(c)(Landau p.54) a field U = α/r2
19. Problem 19
Find the frequency of oscillations of

Figure 10:

(a) a particle of mass m which is free to move along a line and is attached to a spring whose other
end is fixed at a point A at a distance l from the line. A force F is requied to extend the spring to
length l (Figure 10).

Figure 11:

(b) The same as part (a), but for a particle m moving on a circle of radius r (Figure 11).
(c) the problem 12 (Figure 7).
20. Problem 20
A particle moves without friction on the inside wall of an axially sysmmetric vessel given by
1
z= b(x2 + y2 ) (3)
2

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 where b is a constant and z is in the vertical direction.
(a) The particle is moving in a circular orbit at height z = z0 . Obtain its energy and angular
momentum in terms of z0 , b, g (gravitational acceration) and the mass m of the particle.
(b) The particle in the horizontal circular orbit is poked downwards slightly. Obtain the frequency
of oscillation about the unperturbed orbit for very small oscillation amplitude.
21. Problem 21 (p. 633 Lim)
A particle under the action of gravity slides on the inside of a smooth paraboloid of revolution
whose axis is vertical. Using the cylindrical coordinate for a paraboloid having z = Ar2 (A is a
positive constant) and taking the distance from the axis, r, and the azimuthal angle φ as generalized
coordinates, find
(a) The Lagrangian of the system.
(b) The generalized momenta and the corresponding Hamiltonian.
(c) The equation of motion for the coordinate r as a function of time.
(d) If dφ
dt = 0, show that the particle can execute small oscillations about the lowest point of the
paraboloid, and find the frequency of these oscillations.
22. Problem 22 - Landau p. 64
Determine the forced oscillations of a system under a force F(t) of the following forms, if at time
t = 0 the system is at rest in equilibrium (x = ẋ = 0):
(a) F = F0 (F0 is a constant)
(b) F = at (a is a constant)
(c) F = F0 e−αt (F0 and α is a constant)
(d) F = F0 e−αt cos(βt) (F0 and β is a constant)
23. Problem 23 - Landau p. 64-65
Determine the final amplitude for the oscillations of a system if up to time t = 0 the system is at
rest in equilibrium, under a force which is
(a) (see Figure 12)
( 0 t<0
F0 t
F (t) = T 0<t<T (4)
F0 t>T

Figure 12:

(b) F0 which can acts for a finite time T . (Figure 13)

Figure 13:

(c) F0 t/T which acts between t = 0 and t = T. (Figure 14)

(d) F(t) = F0 sin(ωt) which acts between t = 0 and t = T = 2π/ω (Figure 15)

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 Figure 14:

Figure 15:

24. Problem 24 - Landau p.72

Three particles of equal mass m move without friction in one dimension. Two of the particles are each
connected to the third by a massless spring of spring constant k. Find normal modes of oscillations
and their corresponding frequencies.

25. Problem 25-Landau p. 69

Determine the oscillation frequencies of a system with two degrees of freedom whose Lagrangian is

1 2 1
L= (ẋ + ẏ 2 ) − ω0 2 (x2 + y 2 ) + αxy (5)
2 2
( two identical one-dimensional systems of eigenfrequency ω0 coupled by a interaction −αxy. α is a
constant.)

26. Problem 26-Landau p. 70

Determine the frequency of a small oscillation of a coplanar double pendulum (Figure 1)
27. Problem 27
A particle of mass m moves in a central force field with potential V (r). The Lagragian in terms of
spherical polar coordinates (r, θ, φ) is
1
L= m(ṙ2 + r2 θ̇2 + r2 sin2 θ φ̇2 ) − V (r). (6)
2
(a) Find the momenta (pr , pθ , pφ ) conjugate to (r, θ, φ)
(b) Find the Hamiltonian H(r, θ, φ, pr , pθ , pφ ).
(c) Write down the explicit Hamilton’s equations of motion.
28. Problem 28
The Hamiltonian for a simple harmonic oscillator is

p2 1
H= + mω 2 x2 (7)
2m 2
Introduce the complex quantities,
r
mω ip
a= (x + ) (8)
2 mω

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 r
mω ip
a∗ = (x − ) (9)
2 mω
(a) Express H in terms of a and a∗ .
(b) Evaluate the Poisson brackets [a, a∗ ],[a, H] and [a∗ , H].
(c) Write down and solve the equations of motion for a and a∗ .
29. Problem 29
The Lagragian for a free particle in terms of paraboloidal coordinates (ξ, η, φ ) is
1 1
L= m(ξ 2 + η 2 )(ξ˙2 + η̇ 2 ) + mξ 2 η 2 φ̇2 . (10)
2 2
(a) Find the momenta conjugate to (ξ, η, φ).
(b) Find the Hamiltonian.
30. Problem 30
A system with one degree of freedom has a Hamiltonian
p2
H(p, q) = + A(q)p + B(q) (11)
2m
where A and Bare certain functions of the coordinate q, and p is the momentum conjugate to q.
(a) Find the velocity q̇.
(b) Find the Lagrangian L(q, q̇).
31. Problem 31- Landau p.133
Find the Hamiltonian for a single particle in Cartesian, cylindrical and spherical coordinates
32. Problem 32- Landau p.137
Determine the Poisson brackets formed from the Cartesian components of the momentum p and the
angular momentum M = r × p of a particle.
33. Problem 33- Landau p.138
Determine the Poisson brackets formed from the components of angular momentum M = r × p
34. Problem 34
Consider motion of a particle of mass m in an isotropic harmonic oscillator potential V = 21 kr2 and
take the orbital plane to be the x-y plane. The Hamiltonian is then:
1 2 1
H = S0 = (px + p2y ) + k(x2 + y 2 ) (12)
2m 2
Introduce the three quantities:
1 2 1
S1 = (px − p2y ) + k(x2 − y 2 ) (13)
2m 2
1
S2 = px py + kxy (14)
m
S3 = ω(xpy − ypx ) (15)
p
with ω = k/m.
a) Show that :
[S0 , Si ] = 0; i = 1, 2, 3 (16)
so (S1 , S2 , S3 ) are constants of the motion.
b) Show that
[S1 , S2 ] = −2ωS3 (17)
[S2 , S3 ] = −2ωS1 (18)
[S3 , S1 ] = −2ωS2 (19)
c) Show that
S02 = S12 + S22 + S32 (20)

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 * Notes:
(1) Some problems are in the textbook, hence, for futher understanding the circumstance of the problems
(for example, symbols, parameters....), you might want to look it up in the textbook.
(2) ”Landau” means ”Mechanics” written by L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz (this book is mainly used
to be a textbook).

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